What Is Bee Pollen Good For?

Bee pollen is a ball of flower pollen collected by honeybees and used to feed the hive. Bee pollen is consumed by humans because it is considered a nourishing food, as it contains almost all nutrients that the human body needs.

What Does Bee Pollen Taste Like?

Raw bee pollen granules have a peculiar taste—they cannot compare to anything you have eaten before. To give you an idea, they are crunchy, slightly sweet, with a bitter aftertaste. Most people say that it takes time to get used to the taste, so do not expect to fall in love with bee pollen immediately! As you get more used to it, you will notice that it starts to taste sweeter. Of course, you can add it to any Veggie Shake smoothie to disguise the taste and get all the beneficial nutrients!

How Do Bees Collect Pollen?

Bees collect pollen in different ways, depending on the species. Some bees gather pollen on their bodies and carry it to the hive on their hind legs, while others use the abdomen to transport the pollen. The pollen travels on the bees’ hairy bodies and gets transferred to plants, activating the pollination process.

Bee Pollen Benefits

What is bee pollen good for?

Bee pollen is an excellent source of protein. It also contains carbohydrates and 200 types of nutrients, including vitamins and flavonoids, plant pigments with antioxidant properties.

Promotes Liver Health

Bee pollen has been used for centuries to treat wounds, gastrointestinal disease, and various other health conditions. A study conducted on rats to investigate the effects of bee pollen on liver damage found that bee pollen may protect liver cells from oxidative stress and support the healing of liver damage.

Supports Immune System

A team of researchers in Japan investigated the effect of bee pollen on mast cell, a cell that activates during inflammatory and allergic reactions. Results demonstrated that bee pollen inhibited the activation of mast cells.

Another study evaluated the biological activities of eight bee pollens purchased from the market. All samples showed antimicrobial activity and some antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.

May Work as a Dietary Supplement

A study conducted on New Zealand rabbits revealed that bee pollen may work as a dietary supplement to support a healthy diet. The group of rabbits that received bee pollen supplement in addition to their regular diet showed greater reproductive success, giving birth to healthier babies.

Speeds up the Healing Process

Bee pollen may be used to speed up the healing process and is particularly useful as a remedy for burn wounds. Bee pollen may prevent infection thanks to its antimicrobial activity, so the wound can heal quickly. Kaempferol is a flavonoid found in many edible plants and bee pollen. It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, and antidiabetic properties. For all these reasons, bee pollen may help to prevent and treat several health conditions.

Other Benefits

A team of researchers investigated the impact of bee pollen on menopause in cancer patients and found that women with breast cancer who took a bee pollen supplement had fewer and less intense symptoms during menopause.

How to Use Bee Pollen

Bee pollen is available ground or in granules (which can be blended to create ground pollen). The easiest way to consume ground bee pollen is to combine it with other ingredients such as honey and yogurt. There are plenty of bee pollen recipes! You can add bee pollen to smoothies, oatmeal breakfast bowls, and salads.